The Lucky 7 pours out a super dark, almost black, brown colored body with lighter brown highlights. There is about a finger of head that leaves lighter than expected lacing on the glass. As can be expected for a beer with 7 different malts, the aromas are very malt forward. Chocolate, roasted malts, touches of vanilla, and some sweetness come through nicely.

A lot of malts come through on the palate up front; roasted, chocolate and coffee. There is an underpinning of sweetness throughout with some dark fruits coming into the mix. For being so malt forward the Lucky 7 is lighter than expected, as I expected a little more roast. The other flavors do help out and make up for the lack of a good roast.

Is the Lucky 7 a good beer for a malt head? Yes and no. It has the complexity, but lacks the body. It’s still a very enjoyable beer, but lacks in some areas, and at times the flavors don’t mesh well. Even with that I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and will crack another one next time I’m outside on a fall evening.

Rating

86
out of 100

Poured from the 750 ml capped bottle, I filled two snifters – one for me and one for my girlfriend. The body is a deep dark brown bordering on black with creamy, frothy and bubbly tan head. Dissipating quite rapidly, the head is reduced to an even cap across the surface area with some sporadic lacing on the glass.

Evidence of the use of oak is immediate, as this characteristic fills the nose on first sniff. Bourbon, cherry, vanilla, chocolate and dark roasted coffee beans follow. The aromas are extremely diverse and even more so as the beer warms. A certain sweetness seems to be present throughout, that I’m attributing to the Oak Spirals — doing wonders for the nose.

The first sip delivers roasted oak wood and very big, rich mocha and espresso notes. These flavors are dominating at first and last well through the entire hurdles of the palate. Half way through you can find a fruity, sweet quality with a slight tartness to it. It reminds me of the rich and semi-sweet elements you’d expect from a Port. This flavor profile is extremely diverse and the use of the spirals is executed very well.

Having no base, like their regular José Martí, as a comparison — this beer stands on its own. It’s moderately big in regards to its 8% ABV but drinks much easier than first glance. The roasted dark malt and chocolate elements play extremely well off the sweeter oak flavors. Shame on you if you pass this up from the wonderful brewers at Cigar City.

Rating

93
out of 100

Poured from a 12 ounce can into a pint glass, the beer has a light brown head which sits atop a dark brown, almost black, beer. The head dissipates to a thin layer quickly and leaves minimal lacing on the glass. The aroma is straight forward and not too complex, containing elements of roasted malt, coco, and coffee. The malt elements are sweet and well rounded, not just a straight roast. There is also a hint of the roasted coconut used in brewing the beer which adds to the sweet and roasted aromas.

The flavors are classic American Porter, dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans, with a slight twist. The coconut pops in and out, first in the malts adding a coconut element to the the sweetness. Then again on the finish helping to provide a good aftertaste. Being a medium bodied beer with decent carbonation, it is still a little lighter than most.

Not being the biggest fan of coconuts I didn’t know what to expect with this beer. I think that toasting of the coconut and using it as an accent really helps. This is a solid Porter, but the coconut brings it to another level by adding an interesting element to a straightforward beer. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, a sweeter Porter than most but it works. If you can find it pick it up.

Rating

89
out of 100

As expected the Joe is a very dark shade of brown with an almost pitch black center and reddish highlights on the edges. Atop the beer is a light mocha colored head about one finger in height. The aroma is intoxicating, consisting of roasted coffee, chocolate malt and a hint of sweeter caramel malt. You aren’t hit over the head with the aromas but they’re strong enough to keep you sniffing for more.

The flavors pack more emphasis on the coffee than the aromas did. The roasted coffee comes first mixed with the roasted malts. This is followed up by the chocolate malts that have a nice sweet flavor. The finish has some bitterness to it from the hops and a hint of alcohol. The flavor profile is balanced with a large concentration on the roasted elements. I would have enjoyed a little more variation in the flavors. The mouth feel was spot on, not too thin and not too filling.

The Joe is an exercise in roast, of both malt and coffee. I enjoyed this beer and as far as Coffee Porters go, it was one of the better ones that I have had. I do wish that there was more variation in the flavor profile — maybe some vanilla elements. I would suggest looking for this beer if you enjoy a roast-centric profile, and especially if you like coffee.

Rating

88
out of 100

Bell’s Porter offering pours out a dark brown, almost black body. The head is light tan that dissipates from about one finger to a small cap about half way through the beer. The aroma has a small amount of smoke with the roasted malt that is very inviting. Elements of caramel, a bit of sweetness (honey?), and some coffee also come through.

As expected, the flavors fall right in line with the aromas. The malt is the center of attention, roasted and a bit smokey but also present are elements of chocolate and coffee. There is a small hit of hop bitterness mid way through to break things up. The finish is more roasted malt and bitter chocolate. The flavors are a bit simplistic, but they are balanced to make up for it. There is just the right amount of carbonation and the mouth feel is nice smooth.

The Bell’s Porter is a straight shooting Porter. It doesn’t push the envelope of the style nor is it too creative. But it is balanced, flavorful, and tasty. It is drinkable and thanks to the 5.6% ABV there isn’t a hint of alcohol to be found. A Porter that could be considered sessionable? Dare I say yes. Check this one out.

Rating

88
out of 100

The Dead Reckoning comes out almost black with some dark brown hues in the body. Atop the dark colored beer sits one and a half fingers of foamy tan head. There is some lacing left on the glass, but nothing out of the ordinary. The aromas consist of dark roasted malt with a gooey chocolate backbone. There is also a subtle sweetness coming through as well as some earthy hop undertones.

One word really describes the flavors of this Porter: robust. Going off of the nose, everything that you expect to be there is. Deeply roasted malt, but not quite burnt, subtle chocolate sweetness, and a small amount of bitter hops. The mouth feel is on point as well, light enough that you can easily keep drinking but thick enough to be called a true Porter.

Tröegs has yet to let me down with a beer, and the Dead Reckoning is no exception. The aromas and flavors fall right in line with each other, continually complimenting one another. It is a little on the hoppy-side for a Porter, but I think that Tröegs has achieved a good balance. If you like dark beers with a bit of bitterness give this one a shot.

Rating

87
out of 100

The Old Leghumper pours a very deep brown with a one finger tan head leaving some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is very chocolate-heavy with a hit of roasted coffee. There is also some grain coming through at the end with a bit of creaminess throughout. This is a great aroma overall that just draws you into the beer.

Considering this beer won Gold in the Robust Porter category, expectations are pretty high for the flavor to be above and beyond the standard Porter. The flavor, like the aroma, starts out with chocolate but it is molded with a bit of caramel malt sweetness. The flavors end with a hint of roasted coffee and a slight bitterness from the hops. The mouth feel is slightly chewy overall, definitely full-bodied, and lightly carbonated.

The Old Leghumper lived up to most of my expectations. I was expecting some more variation in the flavors, but was very pleased with how the beer tasted. The aroma was spot on, and there was nothing in the beer that was a true turn off. This is a great beer deserving of recognition.

Rating

80
out of 100

Assuming the darkest of dark, I was surprised to see that the beer poured a dark brown but allowed some light to filter through. The head on the beer was very mild, just pushing one finger of frothy, light tanned head. Quite typically, the Porter reminded me of many of the others in the style I’ve had.

The aromas that came from the brew are deep, rich, dark chocolate malts and coffee beans. It’s very inviting and reminded me of walking into a fresh coffee brewhouse. The Porter is accented with a hint of caramel and some roasted toffee, similar to that of a mocha-coffee blended drink.

The taste upfront has a bitter coffee roast note with dried cocoa. The coffee flavor is the predominant one that shines through while the roast has a nice bite of hops to finish off the mouthful. It’s a nice complexity of flavors on your palate and is very easy to drink, especially if you are not used to the strong bold flavors that are usually found in Porters.

The Sierra Nevada Porter is a great sessionable beer with a thinner than normal body. The back-end tasted a little more watery than what I would like but I think that’s what help makes it so drinkable. This one is a solid choice, though nothing earth shattering or out of the norm. If you have the opportunity, pick this one up to try, but don’t expect a unique Porter-taste.

Overall: 8/10

Title photo from: Flickr

The Stone Smoked Porter pours a very dark, almost black, brown color. It is almost to the point of being black, but not quite there. It pours with about an inch of creamy light brown head that leaves some good lacing on the glass. Right off the bat there is some smoke on the nose along with some caramel and a hint of vanilla; a good smell that I noticed as soon as I opened the bottle.

Once again on the taste as with the nose the smoke comes through first along with the roasted malt (these to flavors really go well together). This is followed up by  some chocolate flavors, but nothing too sweet. Right at the end there is a hint of coffee followed by a the slightest alcohol twinge. It feels a bit thin for a porter, but that doesn’t detract from the complex flavors at all.

The Smoked Porter really came through for me, it would be the perfect beer to have with some good BBQ. The smoke flavors are where you want them and they work well with the other flavors and aren’t overpowering at all. Another good beer from Stone that may seem pretty intimidating but is a well balanced yet complex beer.

Overall: 8.5/10

I poured the 12 oz bottle, complete with a Simply Beer label and cool looking silver Sharpie writing on it, into my pint glass. The brew is absolutely midnight black. You cannot see through this at all. I didn’t get any head but the beer did leave a ring of brown foam around the glass as I consumed it.

The smell was intense with flavor. Immediately I was hit with roasted barley and toasted coffee right off the bat. The backend of the nose brought in some semi-sweet chocolate chips and granulated peanut butter. It almost smelled like Reese’s Peanut Butter. I guess with the name of Peanut Butter Porter, I would have imagined the smell of peanut butter to be more apparent. It is there but doesn’t hit you over the head.

The taste was really good. Initially, the mouthful was medium in its body and well carbonated. The still life look of the beer in the glass wouldn’t have eluded to being well carbonated. The carbonation did settle as the tasting went on. The mouthful is popping with coffee beans and alcohol heat. The alcohol heat is dominate and sticks to your tongue and cheeks. The backbone brought in the subtle and understated chocolate and peanut butter notes. The finish was bitter and left a quick linger.

If you’re looking for flavor, look no further than Peter’s Peanut Butter Porter. This brew is packed with a wonderful blend of flavors you’d expect from the name. While the peanut butter was a bit understated for the name the brew is given, it’s a deliciously tempting seduction of a beer. Pair this with some vanilla bean ice cream for dessert or a Brie-style cheese for a snack and you’ve got a delicious combination to keep you busy for a while.

Overall: 8/10